Overheat
by jtnlflash
Summary: It's hot. She's releasing so much energy, it's like an oven around her. When Light Cruiser Kiso begins to overheat, she becomes a liability to all those around her. Has she reached her limits as a ship girl or is there a way to fix her? Kiso's Story. OC Admiral.
1. Hot

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kantai Collection or any of the characters whatsoever. This includes the actual ships, their histories, etc. I'm just a fan of Kancolle as a gamer and of the ships as a history lover, nothing more.  
**

* * *

(1)

Hot. She was burning up. Sweat trickled down her neck as she stood back up, forcing herself to endure the intense heat. She shrugged off the damage she had taken. There was no time to complain. Her enemy was standing on the water in front of her, a smirk on her face.

"What's the matter, Kiso? You're sweating buckets. Is the great Tenryuu-sama too hot for you? I'll turn down the heat if you beg me."

The arrogant provocation from the eye-patched ship girl, Tenryuu, was enough to convince Kiso to keep moving. She bit her lip until it bled. The pain woke her up.

"Hot? No way. It's actually gotten a bit cooler," Kiso declared. Extending her left arm out, she commanded the naval gun that was part of the rigging she carried to follow suit. "See for yourself how cool I am!"

Firing as accurately as she could, the Kuma-class light cruiser kept her focus on her opponent's movements, ignoring the painful sensation of the hot equipment burning through her clothes. The zigzagging evasion Tenryuu performed tried to close the distance between them, but Kiso's left eye kept the Tenryuu-class cruiser in her sights. As the two's gazes met, a pair of excited smiles formed on the eye patched duo's faces.

Battles on the high seas were always filled of tension and passion. For ship girls like Kiso and Tenryuu, they were also just another part of their lives. The roaring of their equipment being driven to the breaking point, the adrenaline pumping through their veins, and the feeling of letting loose in a single attack everything they could muster, the two light cruiser girls loved testing their abilities against each other.

_Bang!_

Kiso discharged another shell, one aimed straight for her opponent's face. As it approached, Tenryuu's left arm swung her sword through the air. She did not cut the approaching shell, however. Instead, she used the heavy blade to hit the side of it, knocking it into the water. Soon after, the shell exploded. "Not bad," Tenryuu remarked before gesturing to the spinning turbine that was attached to her rigging. "But you're going to need more than firepower to beat me."

"My thoughts exactly," Kiso replied, sweat dripping off her face like a waterfall. She expected nothing less from her practice partner.

_Click!_

The sound coming from her rigging told Kiso that she was ready to launch her torpedoes. Knees bent and her teeth clenched, Kiso locked on. She wasn't the only one. Like all practice battles between the two hot-blooded light cruisers, this one was neck and neck. From her crouching stance, Tenryuu was also ready to make her final move of the day. The turbine Tenryuu had added to her combat equipment was roaring loudly, preparing for one final burst.

"Brace yourself, Kiso. This is Tenryuu-sama's Ultimate Turbine Attack!" Tenryuu rushed toward Kiso at breakneck speeds.

Kiso stomped her foot on the water's surface. The sheer intensity of her rigging's heat caused steam to form. Pointing straight ahead, she announced her torpedo strike with vigor. "I'll show you what a real attack is!"

"Bring it!" Tenryuu readied her sword for a full on thrust. "I call this one the Subsonic Dragon!"

Kiso grunted in reply. The battle would end with the next attack. With her opponent approaching at close to 40 knots, she launched the torpedoes.

_Booooooom!_

The battle was over; however, it ended before the final blow was struck. The second Kiso's attack began, a hole burst in the back of her rigging, knocking the ship girl off her feet, onto the water's surface. Smoke escaped the machinery quickly but not before a second explosion occurred on her naval gun. The secondary detonation from the left blew her several meters to her right. Her body skid across the water as she tumbled.

"Gwargh!" Kiso opened her mouth, but all she could do was vomit blood.

"What th-!? Kiso!" Tenryuu skid to a stop as quickly as she could. She dropped her sword as she saw her practice partner in pain. "Hey, Kiso!"

Kiso heard Tenryuu's voice, but her vision was hazy. Her rigging was on fire on and weighing down on her. She didn't have the energy to turn over. Tenryuu approached, reaching out to check for injuries but was forced to pull her hand back from the heat. Seeing no other choice, the light cruiser girl took off her blazer and tossed it over Kiso. She could then flip her so that her head was no longer in the water. She then removed the scorching red rigging as carefully as possible so as to not let the hot metal burn Kiso's skin further.

Kiso said nothing as Tenryuu assisted her. She could say nothing. There was only one thing on her mind as her heavy eyelids closed.

'_It's hot…'_

* * *

(2)

"This isn't an ordinary case of overheating. Repairing the rigging hasn't removed the problem and the replacement riggings are showing signs of the same stress."

"Yeah, looks like it's not just the rigging that's reached its limits. Let's go over the details with Yubari when we get back and see if there's anything else we can do, Akashi. Sorry we couldn't do anything else to help, Aoi. In the worst case scenario…"

"Please, don't mention that. I'd rather that scenario have a 0% chance of occurring. Thank you for coming, Vice Admiral, Repair Ship Akashi. I'm glad my Kiso was under your care."

The voices outside the recovery room stirred the sleeping ship girl from her rest. The subject matter was heavy, so she strained herself to listen. Of the three speakers outside, Kiso could discern one of them to be the familiar voice of her trusted commanding officer, Rear Admiral Yukiko Aoi.

"She'll be up on her feet again in a bit less than two hours. The remaining injuries will disappear after a little extra rest and a bath. Make sure to inform her. We'll report this incident to the fleet admiral and see if he has any insight on the matter. You understand what we're going to tell him, right? Sorry… I'll treat you to some drinks later if you need someone to talk to."

The sound of footsteps could be heard as the people outside left. They became softer and softer with each passing second. Soon after they faded, a knock could be heard on the door to Recovery Room 03 of the hospital wing of Sukumo Anchorage's naval base.

_Knock! Knock!_

"Pardon the intrusion, but you're awake aren't you, Kiso?"

"… Yeah… You can come in."

Kiso had been hesitant to respond, but she had to as she was speaking to her superior officer. Admiral Aoi did not enter, however. She remained standing outside, leaning against the door, the shadow of the back of her head visible through the opaque glass.

"I'm glad you got through that explosion with only moderate damage. As expected of one of my girls," complimented the woman. "You gave me quite a scare when Tenryuu towed you back pale as a ghost. Onee-san was worried, you know?"

The lighthearted remark from the admiral made Kiso feel a little better. "You sure don't sound like you were. Tho' I guess I should be thankin' ya for patching me up so quickly."

Speaking through the door had its benefits. The admiral couldn't see Kiso's face so she did not have to force herself to smile. She was trying to sort through the small snippets of the conversation she had heard earlier. Her rigging overheating seemed to have been the least of her problems. Her admiral choosing not to enter the room was clear that something was up.

"Kiso… how are you feeling right now? Hot? Cold?"

The admiral's question caught the Kuma-class light cruiser off guard. She inspected her own body. While there were bandages wrapped around her from her shoulders down to her stomach, there was no pain. If anything, the only complaint she had was that the bandages felt tight and sweaty.

"I feel pretty good actually. It's not hot like it was when I had my rigging on."

"I see. Then would you mind telling me what the temperature is in that room? It should say on the wall to your left."

Kiso did not understand why the admiral made such a request, so she complied out of curiosity. She noticed the thermometer hanging on the wall. The peak of the mercury was in an unnatural location. "Um… I think your thermometer's broken. It says it's around 40 degrees in here."

On the Celsius scale, such a temperature should have felt hot, but her body said otherwise.

"It's not broken, Kiso. That's definitely the temperature in there. You felt hot earlier because you were in contact with the metal rigging. If you touch something metal now, you would surely feel that same heat. Getting to the point, however, you've caught a little bit about what the vice admiral and Repair Ship Akashi were saying earlier, am I correct?"

Kiso flinched. The admiral was sharp. She knew her well. The light cruiser had been worried about what she had overheard, and the woman had picked up on it immediately.

A long sigh escaped Admiral Aoi, loud enough for Kiso to hear through the door. "… I'm not sure how much you heard, so let me quiz you. For starters: your rigging's overheating. Do you understand what the cause of that is?"

Kiso was about to reply that she assumed it was a problem in the machinery, but the temperature of the room gave her a big enough hint to reject the thought. In fact, she already had enough clues to give the admiral the correct answer. She just did not want to admit it.

"According to Akashi, other replacement riggings started to show the same behavior when we put them in contact with you," the admiral paraphrased the repair ship's account. "As a ship girl, you understand what that means, correct?"

"…Yes…"

Of course Kiso knew. A ship girl's ability to fight with the power of full sized ships never came from their equipment in the first place. If that were the case, any ordinary person could go into combat. Only ship girls could use the fairies' technology to combat the Abyssal Fleet. The reason why?

"The equipment the fairies develop can only work when the user supplies the energy straight from their very being: their souls. Ordinary humans can't do that. Only you ship girls can." Despite Kiso's earlier answer, Admiral Aoi still decided to explain to hammer the point in. "Unfortunately, you're body is emitting energy at far beyond the normal level, Kiso."

Kiso looked at her hands. As much as the admiral's explanation made sense of what had happened, she still refused to believe it. "No way… That sort of thing's just impossible."

"… I guess it's natural for you to think that."

Suddenly, the door opened. It closed just as quickly, but there was enough time for Kiso to see her admiral's white uniform as the woman threw something inside. Kiso jumped out of bed to see what it was. The second her bare feet came in contact with the floor, she realized it felt like she had jumped onto asphalt that was under the summer sun.

Kiso approached the item on the floor. It was an ice pack which melted rapidly, leaving a pool of water on the floor that also began to evaporate. When she picked it up, the process hastened. That confirmed the admiral's claim.

"Damnit…," she cursed. She couldn't deny it any longer. She didn't feel hot, but that was only because her body had gotten accustomed to the excess energy while she was unconscious. Her body really was affecting the environment. If she touched a person, just how badly could she…

Kiso froze. The face of an eye-patched rival of hers popped up in her mind.

"T-Tenryuu!" Kiso ran toward the door, slamming her fist into the wood. The energy she was releasing coupled with her blow and caused a large crack in the door. She had realized that if the ice melted so easily by her touch, she could have hurt her comrade without knowing. "She towed me back. How's she holdin' up? Don't tell me that I-"

The admiral waited for Kiso's breathing to settle before she gave her response. When she did, it was enough to calm the light cruiser down. "She's fine. Her clothes were singed pretty badly, but her own energy output was enough to counter yours and leave her body unharmed while she piggy-backed you home. She should be out of the docks in a few more minutes."

Kiso blinked. Assured by Admiral Aoi's confidence in her answer, the light cruiser girl let out a breath of relief. "Phew… Well, ain't that good news…?"

Unfortunately, the admiral did not feel the same.

"… While that may be the case, we're not taking any chances. Vice Admiral Tokita is going to the fleet admiral to request pulling you out of the fleet," the admiral's voice became softer, as though she had stepped away from the door. It was a little harder for Kiso to hear her superior, but the woman's words caused the ship girl's heart to sink.

"Pulling me out? You can't be serious!"

"As it stands now, if we send you out to sea, there's a high probability you'll be a danger to yourself and the others. We can't risk you or your rigging overheating in the middle of combat. You'll be relieved of your duties for the sake of the fleet."

Kiso raised her fist, ready to slam it into the wooden door, but she stopped when she realized that the admiral had a point. She relaxed her arm, letting it fall to her side. She clicked her tongue. It was the only thing she could do to let her emotions seep out. "Tch!"

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you all of this, Kiso. There's nothing worse than having to dismiss one of your best girls…," Admiral Aoi found continuing the conversation difficult when she knew that her subordinate was so vulnerable.

"Nothing worse? That's a rich lie," Kiso ground her teeth. "Just where the hell am I going to go if I'm like this, huh? Are you going to just dispose of me now that I'm at my limit? Don't tell me you do this to other ship girls, too. Did you really think you could get away with that? I'd rather go down fighting!"

The other side of the door was silent. Kiso knew her words dug into Admiral Aoi effectively. They had been comrades together long enough to know how the other thought. Where the admiral could cut shut Kiso down with reason, Kiso could make her speechless by attacking her conscience. The air between the two was thicker than the door separating them.

"… This is just me talking to myself…"

Admiral Aoi paused. Kiso did as well when she realized the message in her superior's sentence. She was speaking off the record: not as the admiral Aoi but as the individual Yukiko.

"I don't know what the fleet admiral is going to decide. I don't know what is going to happen after my adorable subordinate is relieved of duty. I don't know if she'll be scrapped or contained or operated on or cured. There as much a chance as one as there is the other. It's a scary thought, leaving things to luck. I don't even know if what happened to her is my fault or not…"

Kiso sat down, leaning her back against the door. She would have expected Yukiko to do the same, but of course the woman did not. It would be too hot for her after all.

"I'm certain that she's furious at me, that subordinate of mine," Yukiko spoke formally, but with her tone felt playful in a sense. "I'm worried about the girl, but I can't simply defy my superiors on my own whims. The other kids will have trouble if I go out of line and get transferred out."

She was concerned for the rest of the ship girls under her charge. That alone, Kiso understood was something which had to be put ahead of her own well being. To be completely calm and rational despite the circumstances, Yukiko Aoi was truly a respectable admiral. But even so, it made her sad thinking about it.

"But I'll burn that bridge when I cross it."

Yukiko raised her voice. The declaration was loud enough to cause Kiso's eyes to widen in surprise before she even made sense of the woman's words.

"Whatever the fleet admiral decides, I may be forced to comply, but I can't simply ignore my favorite subordinate when she's in over her head. She must be terrified that she could hurt others without meaning to. I'll have to do what I can to help her out. A good number of people owe me favors, though some of them are a little shady. Still, it's not like I have a 0% chance of making a difference. "

"A-Admiral…," Kiso was stunned by how kind the woman was being. Those serious words, spoken knowing that if she were overheard, she'd be reported for rebelling… Kiso rubbed her eyes, reflexively mumbling that some 'stupid dust' got into them.

"I guess I'm a pretty weird girl, talking to myself so much," Admiral Aoi began to return to her office position. She tried to not sound happy at hearing her subordinate through the door. "I've got to do my best so that my precious subordinate stays by my side."

As Kiso heard Admiral Aoi walk away from Recovery Room 03, the ship girl stared at her hand. A drop of water from her eyes landed onto them and began to evaporate away. Resolute, the girl reached for the metal doorknob above her. The burning metal hurt, but she endured it.

"Aaa… I can take this much…"

Whatever Yukiko decided, Kiso would listen. The woman was willing cross any ocean for her. As a ship gir- No, as a person, she'd certainly do the same.

The next day, Kuma-class Light Cruiser was removed from the list of ship girls assigned to Sukumo Anchorage's naval base.

* * *

_Chapter 1! The original plan was to make multiple chapters about different ship girls getting Kai Ni, but as Kiso's is running fairly long and I'm having writer's block with Jintsuu's, I thought it'd be better to separate them into different stories. The OC Yukiko Aoi may show up more since I actually bothered with a name, but I'm trying to focus more on the girls. My belief is that there are multiple admirals at the base to deal with the massive number of ship girls, though, so we'll see as time goes on.  
_

_By the way, I'm totally enjoying the anime. Hearing multiple 'Poi's' is motivating enough to get me to write. There's a reason why I have a Yuudachi wall scroll, though all my girls are still too low level to even start considering Marriage (temp) [And my money's on Jintsuu]. I haven't played for a while so I'm a bit sad about that. ~Richi_


	2. Kuma-Class

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kantai Collection or any of the characters whatsoever. This includes the actual ships, their histories, etc. I'm just a fan of Kancolle as a gamer and of the ships as a history lover, nothing more.  
**

* * *

(3)

The order came quickly from the fleet admiral. The removal of the Light Cruiser Kiso from the ranks of Sukumo Anchorage's fleet was given immediate priority. As a result of an anonymous tip, Heavy Cruiser Aoba published the sudden development in an extra special emergency issue of her newsletter. Rumors circulated around the base that very morning, ranging from a long term expedition to a transfer to sinking. Surprise and confusion spread through all of those who had been close to Kiso. They searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

Having returned from a night time mission and learned of the news immediately from Aoba's paper, the first to break down the doors to Admiral Aoi's office early that morning was Light Cruiser Kuma along with Kiso's other sister ships.

"Ooi, Kitakami, keep watch, -kuma," the eldest sister and namesake ship of the Kuma-class ordered her torpedo cruiser sisters. With their equipment still loaded and ready to fire if necessary, she stomped into the room with her equally angry sister Tama in tow.

Admiral Aoi sat solemnly at her desk, dark rings around her eyes. She was buried in a mountain of paperwork and had an ice pack on her head. She showed no surprise from the sudden arrival of her subordinate ship girls. After all, she had seen it coming from the minute the fleet admiral's order arrived.

"Kuma, Tama, you should know better than to barge into my office guns blazing. Oh, and welcome back from your mission, in any case."

"Shut it, Admiral," Tama's cat-like eyes narrowed as she approached the woman. "Where's Kiso, -nya?"

"Our sister better be safe or you'll wind up scrap at the bottom of the sea," Ooi shouted into the room. Her sharp tongue was dipped with venom from worry and stress. Kitakami on the other hand kept to herself. Her worries were only revealed when she clicked her tongue.

"So annoying…"

A sigh escaped from the tired Admiral Aoi as she put down her pen and ice pack. She adjusted the pins and medals on her white uniform and stood up. Unconcerned for her own safety, she commented, "One order from the fleet admiral and now my respect's all gone. And even the Kitakami-minded Ooi is targeting me. That's sisterhood for you."

Kuma and Tama did not take lightly to the admiral's remark. The 14 cm naval gun on Tama's rigging jerked, and Kuma took a step forward. "Please, tell us what happened to Kiso, Admiral. None of us are in a good mood after coming home to hear she's gone, –kuma."

Unfortunately, the admiral was unable to give the girls the reply they wanted. "The fleet admiral has forbidden me from saying a word regarding the matter of Kiso's removal, her status, and her location. This issue will remain confidential until the order is rescinded."

"Are you honestly not going to talk because he said so, -kuma?" Kuma slammed her hands on the admiral's desk, shaking the unsteady pile of paperwork in Admiral Aoi's 'Completed' box. Tama also placed a hand on the table. She gripped it tightly. Her long, sharpened nails dug into the wood.

"Aoba's paper said Kiso's rigging exploded when she was training with Tenryuu, -nya," Tama informed the admiral of what they knew. "Kiso wouldn't break it on purpose. That shouldn't be the reason she was punished, so tell us the truth, -nya."

Admiral Aoi merely shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't say a word, girls. I've done all I could, so I'd be happy if you four could just wait until the dust settles. I'd be glad to tell you when it's all over."

"How about telling us what you're allowed to say now then?" Kitakami reasoned. "Wouldn't that be fine?"

"You can get all of that information from Aoba. What hadn't been made confidential was already disclosed to that reporter," the admiral shrugged. "You'll find pretty much everything I'd be able to tell you in print form, or so I hear."

Ooi disagreed. "Let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth."

It was not going to be possible for the admiral to escape her interrogation. She knew she would be confronted and was prepared to face her ship girls' anger. "I have my orders. And I'm honestly growing tired of this conversation. Kiso is in good hands. You'll just have to trust me on that."

"You can't expect us to ju-"

"Enough, -nya."

Kuma was getting impatient, but Tama was the first to act. The cat-like light cruiser moved her right arm in a wide swing, knocking all of the admiral's papers right off the table. Immediately after doing so, her left arm shot forward, and gripped Admiral Aoi's neck tightly.

"T-Ta-?" the admiral could not speak with the light cruiser at her throat.

"H-Hey, Tama!" Kuma was shocked to see her sister take such drastic action. Certainly, they were angry, but Tama was lifting their admiral a good ten centimeters off the ground. "That's going too far, -kuma. You could get in trouble for insubordination –kuma!"

"Spill it, -nya," hissed Tama. The strength of a ship girl was not to be underestimated. Rather than just letting go of her superior officer, the angered ship girl effortlessly threw Admiral Aoi back onto her chair like a rag doll. It tipped over along with the woman who fell onto the ground with a loud and heavy thud. "I don't care if this is insubordination. Kiso's our sister, -nya."

"Gwah!" Admiral Aoi took in a deep breath to make up for her nearly suffocating in Tama's grasp. "I didn't think you'd get this angry. I'm impressed by your courage and dedication to your sister."

Tama was unconcerned with the praise she was receiving. Her anger still hadn't been quelled. The assault strike wasn't enough for her. Her guns were locked onto the defenseless admiral. She showed no sign of mercy. "Quit the small talk. I said to spill it, -nya."

Admiral Aoi stood up slowly. She winced in pain as she could feel the pain in her sides, back, and neck. Moreover, she was still being targeted. She wouldn't be able to take a single hit from Tama's weaponry. Compared to ship girls, she was as fragile as a snowflake.

"I told you… Kiso's fine…," the admiral picked her seat up and sat back down. She tried to act as though she was unafraid, but the sweat just wouldn't stop running down her face. "I called in a few favors… to make sure of that…"

"Then why was she removed, -kuma?" Kuma spoke up. She positioned herself in-between the admiral and Tama. She was worried about Kiso, but Tama acting out of line and attacking the admiral was something she had to stop from happening again. "Sorry, Admiral. I don't know if I can hold Tama back, -kuma."

"She has every right to be angry. You all do," Admiral Aoi understood Tama's anger. They had just returned from a mission to hear their sister had been removed from the base after all. That was why she did not mind being assaulted by the ship girl. "And I'm sorry, but even if you want me to act out of line, I can't mention the details to anybody."

"And why is that, -nya?" Tama tried to maneuver around her older sister, but was unable to.

"Well…"

Admiral Aoi did not continue speaking. She glanced at Ooi and Kitakami, who were still standing beside the door, as though to guard it. With a simple hand gesture, she requested for them to come in and shut the door. They did as they were told.

"It's in the terms of those favors I said I had to call in."

Now that the door was shut, the woman could relax a little. She was happy to be able to use the table to support her body, but then she turned her head to where her paperwork had been, only to remember that it was all over the floor. Really, she had worked so hard through the night to get things done. She closed her eyes and sighed at her misfortune.

"I hope you girls get it. These favors are outside of official jurisdiction, and the people who are helping me out have secrets to keep as well. It'd be trouble if any of us get exposed, so we have to keep a lot of the details to ourselves. Any detail I was allowed to mention was sent to Aoba."

"So you're working off the record?" Kitakami tilted her head. "I've heard rumors you were a shady admiral, but I didn't figure they were true."

Aoi nodded the best she could with her head resting on the tabletop. "Kiso's one of my best girls. Do you honestly think I'd sit here twiddling my thumbs? Hate me all you want, but I'm telling you that this is for that girl's sake."

"… Kiso's been with you the longest," Ooi crossed her arms. Reluctantly, she had to admit her admiral wasn't the type to leave things be. "And you've always hated when things don't go your way. I guess you're telling the truth."

The Kuma-class namesake ship nodded in understanding. She knew Kiso was one of the closest girls to Admiral Aoi. There was no doubt in her mind that they would never abandon one another. But even so, she still wasn't completely convinced. "If you're helping Kiso, I have no problems with that, -kuma. But is what happened to her so bad that you can't even tell us what it is, -kuma?"

"Aoba only mentioned the explosion and the removal." Although she had calmed down slightly, Tama maintained her aggression. "Everything else is interpretation, -nya."

"Of course it is. I'd be in trouble if anything else was released," groaned Aoi. "The fleet admiral's orders are preventing me from leaking information to the public, and my contacts would withdraw their support if I leaked any information in private. The slightest slip up could alert either side, so even with the door closed, I'm being vague. For Kiso's sake, I can't afford to reveal anything."

Kuma, Ooi, and Kitakami lowered their heads. Their admiral was speaking seriously. They had been convinced of that much. The only one left who wouldn't go down so easily was Light Cruiser Tama.

Tama ground her teeth. Now that Aoi had conveyed her intentions and her reasons, her sisters had been won over. She knew the woman had good reason to be telling the truth and even more good reason to keep them in the dark. It just made her mad that her reasoning shut their interrogation down so perfectly.

"Tama…," spoke Kitakami to her tense sister. "Maybe we should just be happy the admiral said Kiso's safe. I mean… if all goes well, she'll be back… right?"

The admiral nodded. "I can guarantee that. Kiso is in a place we can trust will take care of her right now."

Tama bit her lip. Her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was clenching her fists. She was reluctant to give in. At the very least, she wanted something more to reassure herself that her sister was safe.

"Your contacts… are they ship girls, -nya?"

Aoi blinked. Although Tama may have only been asking to see if she could trust the woman's contacts, the light cruiser had asked a good question. The ship girl's wit was as sharp as her instincts. She had to hand it to Tama.

"Yes…"

Tama nodded. She relaxed her shoulders and her rigging's weaponry retracted. She accepted Aoi's honest answer.

"I better not find her in Manila, -nya."

Turning around, Tama moved passed her sisters and opened the door. The light cruiser girl said nothing else and simply left the room. As Kiso's comrade and sister, she could only hope for the best. The admiral had to keep her word.

_Sigh_!

"If things take too long, I'll get that girl to write some letters," was Admiral Aoi's mere act of kindness. It was simple, but to the Kuma-class girls, it was something to be grateful for. Kuma, Kitakami, and Ooi all bowed their heads and then saluted the woman before they left the office. As for Tama, the sound of her footsteps seemed to have softened.

"Thank you," was the last word she heard from the light cruiser girls.

Finally alone in her office again, Admiral Aoi stood up and tried to steady her legs. They shook wildly without the support of the woman's chair.

"So early in the morning, and I'm already shaking in my boots," she laughed weakly at her misfortune, her eyes drooping from exhaustion. At the very least, she had survived the reaction she had been expecting from her independent and strong girls. Her subordinates were strong, but she was able to endure their interrogation. Admiral Aoi stomped her foot, hoping the recoil of the impact would wake her up. "Come on, Yukiko. You're stronger than this…"

Really, fighting against the higher ups. What on earth was she thinking? They were in the middle of a war with a dangerous, unknown enemy. They would have her head for such treason. The world was unfair, and the orders of her superiors were law so far as she was supposed to be concerned. To go behind the back of the fleet admiral for the sake of a single overheating light cruiser, she was an insane woman.

But even so, she stuck to her decision. Kiso would have been shut in quarantine for who knows how long had she not stepped in. She had arranged for a certain somebody to convince the fleet admiral to transfer Kiso elsewhere. Even though that person owed her originally, it still cost Aoi an arm and a leg considering the risks being undertaken. And by an arm and a leg, she meant a boatload of resources. Even so, the admiral was unconcerned of how many strings she would have to pull. So long as the navy needed her and her actions went unnoticed, she would remain in with her fleet. And as long as she was responsible for those girls, she would be damned if she'd let her cute subordinates down.

Admiral Aoi looked down at the scattered mess of papers that covered her wooden floor. As she scanned the room, her hand rubbed her throat. It hurt to move move her head. Even so, she continued searching until her eyes centered on a single sheet of paper. The admiral knelt down and picked it up. It was a mere budget appropriation document, but to her, it was a lot more than that.

_Resource Transfer Request for Remodeling._

Tama may have felt comforted knowing a fellow ship girl was with her sister, but Aoi was still uncertain about the matter. Unfortunately, leaving things to _her_ was, above all others, the best choice the admiral had in her repertoire. _She_ was the only girl with enough knowledge to find a solution for Kiso's problem.

"Tch! I can't believe I'm giving that Akashi this much free reign…"

* * *

_Because an angry Tama was on my wish list. Actually, after a looking it up, Tama and Kiso were in the same cruiser division, which makes this Tama's reaction seem a little more justified. I love it when the story compliments the history in some way. This tale will end up a bit longer than I thought. Kiso wasn't in this chapter, but she'll show up next. I'm currently enjoying the V-day CGs BTW. Especially since they're all part of my expedition fleet and Shigure's my beloved secretary whenever Jintsuu's away. ~Richi  
_


	3. Akashi's Playhouse

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kantai Collection or any of the characters whatsoever. This includes the actual ships, their histories, etc. I'm just a fan of Kancolle as a gamer and of the ships as a history lover, nothing more.**

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(4)

It had been present since before the military was even stationed. It stood tall as it faced the east where the sun rose, enduring ocean winds day in and day out. Its windows nailed shut with wooden boards and its doors rusted into a copper color, it was one of the oldest structures within Sukumo Anchorage. Warehouse 01 was a building on the edge of the naval base, and, although it did not look it from the outside, it held a secretly dug basement which was the center for any and all private research regarding ship girl modernization and remodeling.

"Fit-out synchronization factor: 95%. Soul adaptation resonance: 98%. Energy output: 115%. All readings green," the bespectacled light cruiser, Ooyodo, announced the values she read from a computer monitor.

"Green, huh? Good. Thanks, Ooyodo," a pink haired ship girl turned down a dial on the control panel she was standing in front of. The ship girl, Akashi, turned to her as she stood within the testing chamber who was dressed in nothing but bandages and her underwear. "Kiso, how is the temperature in there? Is it too much for you?"

"It says 47.8 degrees," she answered from the other side of the glass wall, reading the display in front of her. She stood within the empty chamber touching absolutely nothing, allowing her body to be examined through the scanning device within the chamber. "You sure this thing's not broken? It doesn't feel that hot. Also, can I get something to wear?"

"Not yet, no. Your body may have adapted to the heat, but your clothes will take heavy damage if you put them on in your current condition," grinned Akashi. "Well, that test underwear I developed seems to be working just fine since they seem to be doing better than our repair bandages. I'll get you a full new outfit made with that material as soon as we optimize the fairy fabric to steel fiber ratio."

"Sounds good."

Kiso nodded. She did not complain. It had been two weeks since her transfer out of the main fleet due to her condition. As difficult it was to be sent away from her comrades, at least some progress was being made. Akashi may have been treating her like a lab rat, but she was rather humane about it and kind enough to inform Kiso of her plans.

"Okay. Now for the… hmm?" Akashi was distracted by a blur which appeared on one of the monitors by her control panel. "Oh… so that's her casual clothing."

Akashi pressed a button on the far left side of the control panel. The second she did, a loud metal clanging could be heard. Kiso turned her head upward where the noise had been made; wondering what was going on in the upper level.

"Is someone upstairs? Should I get back and hide?" questioned Kiso, who knew her presence in the research lab was a secret from the military. Whenever a person came to the warehouse to deliver resources, Kiso was to retreat back to her hidden room in the already secret basement.

"No need. It's not a delivery today," Akashi dismissed the thought. "It's a guest you probably haven't seen for a while. I was wondering when she'd be given some time off. Ooyodo, get the sheet of fabric we made Kiso's underwear from. Kiso, let's have you cover yourself up to show a little modesty."

"Sure."

"I'm on it. And shall I open up the entrance?" Ooyodo asked as she followed orders.

Akashi licked her lips, deciding to be a little playful. "No, let her wait a little longer. She took two weeks to get permission for leave. For making a girl wait that long, she deserves a little punishment."

"… Very well…"

Ooyodo did not argue. Within the confines of the warehouse which had been so aptly dubbed Akashi's Playhouse, Repair Ship Akashi had full reign. No matter who came, from a grunt to a fellow ship girl to a superior, so long as they were within the confines of her warehouse, Akashi's orders were absolute.

"Okay… There you go, Kiso," spoke Ooyodo as she carried a half cut blanket of fabric over to the testing chamber and inserted it through a retractable opening.

"I appreciate it," accepted the half-dressed ship girl.

The moment Kiso was covered, Akashi gave her bespectacled assistant a thumbs-up. Ooyodo nodded and walked over to a long metal pole that stuck straight up into the basement ceiling. She then pushed a single button on the wall by the pole. Immediately, a hole in the ceiling retracted open and the pole began to rotate, extending higher and higher up into the first floor.

"I hope you weren't planning on keeping those clothes clean," chuckled Akashi as a figure slid down the pole into the hidden basement. Clad in a white and deep violet, fine patterned kimono was Kiso's superior, Rear Admiral Aoi, who grumbled at the fact that Akashi had gotten oil on her clothes by forcing her to slide down such a dirty iron rod.

"If I didn't need you to take care of Kiso, I'd have the vice admiral on your case, Akashi," cursed the woman to show just how much she valued her off-duty clothes.

"In terms of favors owed, you're currently one down on the man, so I doubt it. Besides, he's just as much my plaything as you are," Akashi knew that the woman's threat was nothing more than empty words. With a grin on her face, the repair ship announced. "In any case, welcome to my playground, funded by the your and the vice admiral's precious resources."

Akashi's humor hit a little below the belt for Aoi. "I'm going to have a hard time explaining to Hatsushimo about where our resources disappeared to when she notices," the admiral groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. Under her breath, she mumbled, "Hopefully she'll be gentler than Tama…"

Kiso noticed the bruises on the off-duty commander's body. She put two and two together quickly but the result worried her. "Hey, my sisters didn't do anything too drastic, did they?"

"It was just a display of sisterly concern," Aoi tilted her head back to spot Kiso. "I was spared since they knew I wouldn't just toss you aside. Well, I guess Tama tossed me aside, so to speak. It's been a while since I was last attacked, but wounds from ship girls don't heal as quickly as you'd like them to."

"Sorry 'bout that…," Kiso lowered her head. She felt she had to apologize for Tama's actions. Kiso could imagine her older sister ship's rage. The admiral had faced it head on and, despite trying to appear composed, could not hide the cold sweat she had broken into by simply recalling it.

"It's not your fault," assured the woman. "It's more like the fleet admiral's and Akashi's. The fleet admiral for making the details of your condition confidential and Akashi for making this facility behind the man's back."

"Hey, come on now," Akashi spoke with mock anger. "I'll tell the fleet admiral about this factory when I'm good and ready. Until then, it's a secret between you two, me, and Madam Resource Appropriator over there."

Ooyodo shook her head at the title she had been given. "I'd prefer the term 'Staff Budget Organizer' at the very least. And please do not forget to add Vice Admiral Tokita to the list as well. He should have noticed the missing steel and bauxite by now."

"So sneaky, Ooyodo. As expected of a girl who used to be under this woman's command," chuckled Akashi, pointing a finger at Kiso's superior.

"Let's stop the shady admiral comments before you really set me off, you pink resource sucker," Aoi had the composure to insult the repair ship. "I get it. It's not like I'm good to the point where I can gain everybody's trust with every action I do. Hell, the fact that I was so willing to make this private deal just goes to show how used to going behind people's backs I am."

"That's the reputation of our base's Underhanded Admiral for you," Ooyodo was the one who commented on the situation. She placed her hand in front of her mouth when she pushed up her glasses so that the smirk on her face could not be seen.

Kiso watched as the kimono-clad woman turned her head toward the bespectacled light cruiser with a scowl. Aoi did nothing to retaliate, and they all knew why. She knew she couldn't argue that she _wasn't_ a shady person. Ooyodo's willingness to act as Akashi's accomplice and siphon some of the vice admiral's resources was a result of Admiral Aoi's influence when they worked together. The ship girl's snarkiness may have been as well.

"Hopefully she isn't causing Rin any other trouble…," she mumbled, referring to Vice Admiral Tokita who Ooyodo was transferred to.

Deciding to move on to the main topic, Akashi walked over to her set of computers and monitors and began to type on it. She opened up several files on Kiso and the data regarding her condition. "Well, let me fill you in since it's been two weeks. We're actually doing pretty well considering we don't know what the cause of Kiso's overheating is. I've gotten a good amount of data from the tests, but it's going to take some time to put it into good use. I'm also developing some clothes that should help Kiso regulate her heat output."

"Sounds good. Do you have an estimated time for how long it may take to find a solution?" Admiral Aoi asked. She walked up to the glass wall separating her and Kiso and placed her hand on it. Kiso was worried the woman would pull her hand back as though she touched a hot kettle, but she did not. Thanks to the ventilation system and the design of Akashi's warehouse, it was cool to the touch. Kiso's heat was contained inside. "I'm not comfortable with Kiso being locked up and hidden away. I told you to take care of her."

"I'm looking into it. And I'm treating her pretty well, right Kiso?"

"There's no problem," Kiso assured the woman. She saluted out of habit. "Akashi's been letting me stay in the second basement floor. The living quarter's something amazing. The air conditioning manages my overheating too. I heard Akashi 'improved' it."

"Really? I wonder how high the electric bill is…"

Kiso suppressed a smirk from the 'My-wallet-would-cry' expression Aoi was making. It was easier to conceal when she noticed something sticking out from beneath the woman's kimono sleeve. It was a letter, several in fact.

"Hey… is that…?"

The admiral followed the direction of Kiso's pointer finger. "… Ah. You saw them," the woman spoke as she waved the stack of envelopes around. "Your first letters since you've been moved here. Your comrades are all worried about you. I'll let you read them at your disclosure."

"Bet they'd laugh themselves silly if they found out I was still in the base," the light cruiser poked fun at the fact that she was right under her friends' noses.

Admiral Aoi reflexively rubbed her throat, as though recalling a phantom pain. "… Either that or they'd be miffed…"

Having had the subject come up again, Kiso bowed her head. The fact that the marks on her commanding officer's neck was her sister's doing still irked her. "Sorry."

"I told you it's not your fault," sighed Aoi. She slammed her hand with the envelopes onto the glass wall separating her and Kiso. "Don't you go and depress yourself over every little thing. Just read these and concentrate on getting your body back to normal. I'll shoulder all of the consequences in the meantime."

"Hmph…," Kiso turned her head away to hide the small smile on her face. "Well, ain't that an attractive thing to say. I gotta thank you."

Aoi handed the letters to Ooyodo who bowed and left. Kiso knew her destination. Ooyodo was leaving to move the letters to Kiso's quarters while at the same time fire-proofing them in case the girl's heat output would prove too much for the paper.

"I'm going to get the full details from Akashi, so please go ahead and take a look at those messages," the admiral began to walk away toward the pink haired repair ship who was typing at a pace that would break normal computer keyboards. "Your sisters and comrades are all hoping you're doing fine. And if you want to write a letter, I'll deliver it too."

"Understood," the light cruiser ship girl nodded. She turned her head to the working Akashi and tried to get her attention. "You fine with me leaving, Akashi?"

"Sure. We've got enough data to go forward for a while. Take a good rest," Akashi waved with one hand while still typing with the other. "I'll get you something to eat when we're done too since it's almost time for breakfast."

"Sounds good."

What kind of letters had she received? Kiso was anxious while at the same time excited. She hadn't received contact from her comrades for some time. She wanted to get back to them as soon as she could, but so long as she was still outputting too much energy, she would have to settle for reading mail.

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_Ah, slow updates. Slow updates. I finally have time to write again, but only every other weekend. Here's hoping for more free time. I like picturing a sarcastic Ooyodo staring with annoyance at an Akashi with her tongue sticking out as she's having fun with equipment. Also, I like to think this is how Akashi's improvement arsenal was in its beta phase. ~Richi_


End file.
